Press Information

Autumn Season – August to October 2016

The first UK production in nearly 90 years HOME CHAT by Noël Coward Directed by Martin Parr. Designed by Rebecca Brower. Presented by Eleanor Keel and Leo Mylonadis for ElmTree Productions in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre.

"I am shirking off the chains that have shackled me for so long – I have suddenly come to realise that I am a woman – a living, passionate, pulsating woman – it never occurred to me before."

A unique rediscovery in its first UK production since its premiere in 1927, Home Chat by Noël Coward opens at the Finborough Theatre for a four week limited season on Tuesday, 30 August 2016 (Press Night: Thursday, 1 September and Friday, 2 September 2016 at 7.30pm).

Janet Ebony and her best friend Peter Chelsworth are innocently sharing a sleeping compartment when their train to Paris is involved in a disastrous railway accident. Outrage and scandal ensue as Janet's husband Paul and her fearsome mother-in-law accuse Janet and Peter of adultery. Aghast at their families’ accusations, Janet and Peter decide to take revenge by inventing an adulterous affair...

Written with Noël Coward's trademark wit and insight, Home Chat is a distinctly modern comedy about female sexuality and fidelity, in a society rigidly governed by decorum and reputation.

Playwright Noёl Coward was born in 1899, and died in 1973. He was an actor, playwright, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, artist, novelist, short story writer, poet and cabaret artist. His many plays include The Vortex, Hay Fever, Easy Virtue, Bitter Sweet, Private Lives, Fallen Angels, Cavalcade, Design for Living, Tonight At 8.30, This Happy Breed, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit. His screenplays include In Which We Serve and Brief Encounter. His songs include Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The Finborough Theatre has previously presented his very first play The Rat Trap in 2006 and the UK professional premiere of This Was a Man in 2014.

Director Martin Parr was nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Director for his production of Hamlet (Rose Theatre, Bankside). Theatre includes Sense and Sensibility (Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts), The Eighth Wonder of the World (Brunel Tunnels), The Devil to Pay on Brook Street (Handel House, Mayfair), Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang and Doctor Faustus (Rose Theatre, Bankside), The Three Georges (Gottingen Festival), A Door Must be Kept Open or Shut (Osborne Studio), A Night in CDU (Landor Theatre) and Romeo and Juliet (St George's, Bloomsbury). Opera includes Acis and Galatea (Canons, London), Teixeira's Te Deum and Handel's Messiah (Casa Da Musica, Portugal), L'Ippolito (Festival de Sable and Ambronnay Festival) and Comus (London Handel Festival). Assistant Direction includes 84 Charing Cross Road (Salisbury Playhouse). Martin is also an Associate with Actors From The London Stage, who tour Shakespeare plays to the USA twice a year. Martin originally trained and worked as an actor, working at theatres across the United Kingdom and America.

The press on director Martin Parr “This ambitious production soars…an unexpected delight...the experience is a fascinating one” The Telegraph on Hamlet “Martin Parr’s fast and fresh adaptation is a pleasure to behold…clever and original in the most unexpected way, Parr’s adaptation is a must-see” The Public Reviews on Hamlet “Staggeringly good” The Stage on Hamlet “Witty, poised and risky” The Arts Desk on Where the Late Sweet Birds Sang “Outstanding panache” The Public Reviews on Doctor Faustus “Polished and satisfying” The New York Times on L’Ippolito

118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Telephone 020 7244 7439 e-mail [email protected] www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Artistic Director Neil McPherson

The Finborough Theatre is managed by The Steam Industry. Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee, no. 3448268. Registered Charity no. 1071304. Registered address: 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED. A member of the Independent Theatre Council. Press Information Reviews for previous Finborough Theatre productions of Noël Coward rediscoveries On The Rat Trap     Four Stars Time Out (Time Out Critics' Choice) and The Sunday Telegraph “Written in 1918, when he was only 18 and not revived since a brief London run in 1926, Noel Coward's The Rat Trap is an absolute revelation.” Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard “A most rewarding evening” Jeremy Kingston, The Times “This may be Coward juvenilia, but for sheer energy, engrossing performances and entertainment value the production knocks spots off almost every other straight play in London at the moment, and is sure to lead to further revivals or, better still, a transfer.” John Thaxter, British Theatre Guide On This Was A Man     Four stars, Everything Theatre, West End Frame and The Good Review, and four OffWestEnd nominations “Why on earth has it taken 88 years? That a really rather fine play by Noël Coward has had to wait until now for its professional UK premiere seems astounding. However, this certainly isn’t the first time that the tiny Finborough, on the London Fringe, has brought a forgotten gem to light.” Kate Bassett, The Times “He guides us with astonishing acuity and intelligence through the shadowy byways of the human heart.” Lloyd Evans, The Spectator “The Finborough is unparalleled in bringing to the fore these rarities of fine but unproduced drama.” Lizzie Loveridge, CurtainUp “The tiny but prodigiously vital Finborough Theater.” Ben Brantley, The New York Times

PRESS NIGHTS: THURSDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2016 AND FRIDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER 2016 AT 7.30PM PHOTOCALL: TUESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2016 AT 1.00PM-1.30PM

Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Box Office 0844 847 1652 Book online at www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Tuesday, 30 August – Saturday, 24 September 2016 Tuesday to Saturday evenings at 7.30pm. Sunday matinees at 3.00pm. Saturday matinees at 3.00pm (from 10 September 2016). Prices until 11 September 2016 – Tickets £16, £14 concessions, except Tuesday evenings £14 all seats, and Friday and Saturday evenings £16 all seats. Previews (30 and 31 August) £12 all seats. £10 tickets for Under 30’s for performances from Tuesday to Sunday of the first week when booked online only. £12 tickets for residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on Saturday, 3 September 2016 when booked online only. Prices from 13 September 2016 – Tickets £18, £16 concessions, except Tuesday evenings £16 all seats, and Friday and Saturday evenings £18 all seats. Performance Length: Approximately two hours with one interval of fifteen minutes.

For more information, interviews and images, please contact Neil McPherson on e-mail [email protected] or 07977 173135 Download press releases and images at http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/press-resources.php

118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Telephone 020 7244 7439 e-mail [email protected] www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Artistic Director Neil McPherson

The Finborough Theatre is managed by The Steam Industry. Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee, no. 3448268. Registered Charity no. 1071304. Registered address: 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED. A member of the Independent Theatre Council.